Lewis and Bonneville lead the British offering, which includes nominations for Benedicit Cumberbatch, Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren.

Lewis, who won the award for best actor last year, has been nominated again for his role as Sgt Brody in Homeland. Bonneville, also nominated in 2012, is up for the title again for his performance in Downton Abbey.

ITV drama Downton Abbey, which has proved a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, has received 12 nominations in total.

US thriller American Horror Story leads the nominations with 17, followed by Game of Thrones with 16, Behind the Candelabra and Saturday Night Live with 15, and Breaking Bad and 30 Rock with 13.

For the first time in the history of the awards, a TV series that has never been broadcast on television before has been nominated.

House of Cards, which was commissioned exclusively for Netflix, has been nominated for nine awards including outstanding drama, best actor and best actress.

The latest series of Arrested Development, also commissioned for Netflix, has received three nominations.

Michael Douglas, nominated for his portrayal of pianist Liberace, goes head to head with Behind the Candelabra co-star Matt Damon for the title of lead actor in a mini-series or movie.

The HBO single drama was originally commissioned for television after Hollywood bosses rejected the script because they thought the subject matter too ‘risky’ for general release at the box office.

HBO has become the most-nominated network for the 12th year in a row with 108 nominations.